‘Real-world deepfake' — Woman thrilled at 'chance encounter' with ex-DBS chief Piyush Gupta, but turns out it isn't him

Independent Singapore

21-05-2025

SINGAPORE: In what some LinkedIn users are calling the best post of 2025, if not ever, a woman wrote enthusiastically about a 'chance encounter' with Piyush Gupta, the former CEO of DBS Bank.
Janney Hujic posed with, as well as posted, a photo of the man. He also offered her some words of wisdom after she told him about her upcoming all-women expedition in Mongolia to support the Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund.
Except that the man wasn't actually Mr Gupta.
In a comment, he wrote, 'Sorry to disillusion you. That isn't me!'
Ms Hujic's post, which she put up on Monday (May 19), is still up for everyone to enjoy, although, on the bright side, more people probably now know more about the founder of Impact-Driven Retreats & Expeditions than before.
She wrote that at a 'quiet café tucked away in Bali, Indonesia,' she saw a man whom she thought looked 'an awful lot like Piyush.
Curious, I walked over — and sure enough, it was him.
Piyush Gupta , the former CEO of DBS Bank. Casual. Composed. Entirely unassuming,' she wrote, adding that he carried himself with humility and a presence she described as having 'No entourage. No airs. Just quiet conviction.'
When they talked for a short while, Ms Hujic shared her vision to empower women through travel, which she said 'Mr Gupta' responded to positively, saying that over his long career, he had seen how women's experiences of rest and renewal helped spur their personal and professional growth.
And when she told him about the Mongolia trip, he said, '𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 — 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘦 — 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭.'
When the real Mr Gupta told Ms Hujic about the case of mistaken identity, she wrote, 'oh gosh, I've seen you when I was at DBS couldn't tell the 2 apart. Kudos to him. In his defense he had your charms right on and he said all the right things.'
Nevertheless, people have been having a wonderful time with the 'chance encounter.' The real Piyush Gupta. YT screencapture
While some claimed that the similarity between the two men was uncanny, others said they couldn't see it.
'Someone showcased a deepfake in the real world!' a commenter wrote.
'This is the sole reason why I have LinkedIn,' another chimed in.
Another asked the post author, 'Did you even ask him if he was 'Piyush Gupta' or were you just overwhelmed with excitement and poured your life story to a random stranger? LOL!! This is way too funny!'
'Hilarious! This seems straight out of an episode of The White Lotus,' was another take, while a commenter begged the post author, 'I will never get over this post. Please do not delete it. This is the moment when LinkedIn peaked and history must remember it as such.'
'Pack it up, my friends, we have achieved peak LinkedIn,' one quipped. /TISG
Read also: Piyush Gupta received $17.6 million pay for 2024 after 'another banner year' for DBS